


Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Haruka Nanase x Fem!Reader)

by garchompp



Category: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Free!
Genre: Crossover, F/M, I started this a long time ago, Reader-Insert, Slow Build, Slow Romance, i know this is bad but it has a special place in my heart, i watched the movie and paused every few seconds to describe everything, it took me forever, sort of slow burn?, sougou and rin/ai if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-07 14:29:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7718431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/garchompp/pseuds/garchompp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Name) (Surname). Teenage genius. </p><p>Haruka Nanase. Prince of an ancient empire hidden beneath the sea.</p><p>This is a tale of adventure, science, exploration, and the blossoming romance of two very different people.</p><p>(Free! Iwatobi Swim Club x Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea while watching my favorite Disney movie a while ago, and I'm finally getting the courage to post it here. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Also, it has been a while since I touched this, so please let me know of any errors you see with a comment or message or whatever this site has. Also, a beta reader/editor would be great, so please let me know if you're interested!)

“…in a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis disappeared into the depths of the sea.” –Plato, 360 B.C.E.

 

The explosion was deafening. A blue ball of light began a colossal tidal wave, leaving Atlantean soldiers defenseless. The few warriors that got away shouted to each other in their native tongue that they needed to warn the city. Their sea animal vehicles whirred loudly as they bolted towards their home, giving the signal that danger was coming. The alarms were sounded; the lookout broadcasted the situation to the entire city. A large bell was struck with panic, the words “get to shelter!” being yelled across the city. Aircraft plummeted to the ground as the citizens screamed and ran for their safe houses, but one little boy in particular was a bit distracted. His name was Haruka Nanase, the black haired, blue eyed child prince of Atlantis. His mother and father, the king and queen, urged him to move quickly, but he had dropped his prized stuffed leviathan and wanted to retrieve it. His mother warned him of the urgency of the situation and dragged the stoic boy away. Just as mother and son were about to escape, a strange blue light seemed to call to the queen, her crystal pendant floating in front of her face. Her eyes glowed with blue energy as the columns of light merged into one, lifting the queen into the air. Her grip around her beloved son’s wrist slackened, simply pulling his shell bracelet off of his small wrist. The boy cried out in alarm and reached for his mother, praying that he could save her, but she was already out of reach. As the queen was enveloped by the energy, light blue shields began to form around the inner city, cutting off many innocent citizens in the outlying areas. They soon lost their lives to the gargantuan wave, but those inside the barrier were saved from the debris and rush of water. As the young prince’s mother finally merged with the energy field, the boy’s father ran up to him, crushing him in a hug and warning him to look away. The dome of blue light sealed around the inner city while the ocean rushed in around it, the thunderous crashing ringing in the prince’s ears. After one final clap of lightning, the city was submerged and all was calm.

 

The year was 2020, and Washington, D.C. was bustling with tourists and locals alike. Inside the Smithsonian, a young hopeful was hard at work.

  
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman! I’d like to thank this board for taking the time to listen to my proposal!” a girl looking to be about sixteen or seventeen exclaimed. “Now, I’m sure all of you have heard of the legend of Atlantis, a continent in the mid-Atlantic. It was supposedly home to an advanced civilization possessing technology way beyond what we’re capable of, even today!” 

  
“According to the brilliant mind Plato, Atlantis was brought down by what we would equate to an apocalypse, with gigantic walls of water smashing the small city and sinking it to the bottom of the vast ocean,” the student rambled, gesturing to a large world map behind her with a laser pointer. She then rushed to grab her laptop and projector, bringing up a PowerPoint on the screen of a Smartboard in the corner.

  
“Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Atlantis is just a myth, (Name)! Why on earth are you giving this fairytale a second thought?’ Well, I have solid proof that this is no myth, ladies and gentleman!” The girl’s (e/c) eyes lit up as she began the presentation on her computer, images of ancient runes and murals flashing on the Smartboard.

  
“According to these artifacts, Atlanteans had electricity, advanced medicine, and the power of flight way before the modern human, but that’s not all! Apparently, a mystical and unknown power source fueled Atlantean society that was more powerful than even the atom! Ladies and gentleman, gentleman and ladies, I propose that we journey to Atlantis, find this power source, and bring it back to the surface to create a cleaner and more sustainable energy source!” A new slide glimmered onto the screen, this one depicting a page of a book written in what seemed to be gibberish.

  
“This is a page that describes a book titled, “The Swimmer’s Journal.” This book is said to be able to lead anyone to Atlantis with the information it holds.” (Name) shimmied out from behind her podium, jogging over to her whiteboard where strange runes and “coast of Ireland” were written in green marker.

  
“An old translation said that the book could be found on the coast of Ireland, but when I compared these characters to those I found on an ancient swimming flipper, I found a mistake in said translation!” The girl hastily erased the “r” in “Ireland” with the sleeve of her white sweater, groaning when she realized the marker had left a stain. Muttering to herself about her stupidity, she picked up a blue marker and scribbled a “c” where the “r” had been written. She whipped around to face her audience, a large smile plastered on her face.

  
“Dang it, (Name), you stood in front of the screen again…” she muttered, awkwardly scooting away from the projector. Regaining her toothy grin, she turned back to her listeners.

  
“I can take any questions that you may ha-“ She was interrupted by a rendition of the Legend of Zelda theme song blasting from behind her small whiteboard. Smiling sheepishly, the girl dove over the board to pick up her phone.

  
“This is (Name) (Surname), youngest Smithsonian brain in history! What may I do for you?” A long pause was followed by a groan. “Again? Fine, I’m on it,” she sighed. Clamoring back over her board, (Name) apologized, running over to flip the lights back on. She turned to her “audience:” an old skeleton used in a science class, a large stuffed bear she had received as a young child, and a bust of Theodore Roosevelt. Rushing over to her small wifi tower, (Name) fiddled with a few switches and buttons before the lights flipped back on. She flew back over the board, picking up her phone once more.

  
“There. Go back to reading your fanfiction, Darla…” she sniffed, hanging up her phone with disdain. She hadn’t noticed that she had flipped her board to the map of Iceland she had haphazardly drawn earlier, therefore making her smear green all over herself. When she began to speak and noticed the board, she made a noise of pure exasperation.

  
“Can’t go a day without getting crap all over your shirt, huh, (Name)?” she hissed, thinking of how much bleach she would have to use to get out all of the Expo marker.  
“Well, ladies and gentleman, I did have the route that I would take an expedition on to locate the journal, but…it seems my clumsiness has thwarted me again!” she chuckled. The generic wall clock buzzed, signaling that (Name) needed to present her ideas for the bigwigs of the Smithsonian Institution.

  
“Here I go… I’m finally getting out of this stupid basement, Granny,” she said wistfully, picking up a picture of her deceased grandmother. Giving it a quick kiss, (Name) bolted for the elevator. Just as she stepped inside, her phone buzzed with an urgent text.

  
“They moved my appointment from twelve fifty to eleven fifty?” she screeched in surprise, glancing at the time. It was eleven fifty-one. Another text chimed, this one telling the distraught (Name) that, due to her absence, her proposal had been flushed down the drain…again.

  
“Those nasty prunes can’t do this to me!” (Name) shouted, furiously slamming buttons on the elevator’s panel.

Meanwhile, said “prunes” were bantering about how silly the presentation would have been anyway when a panting (Name) burst out of the elevator, miscellaneous gadgets and papers hanging out of her bag and her once pristine white sweater green with Expo marker.

  
“Wait!! I made it!” the teen barked, causing the executives to look at each other in fear before splitting up and running into different rooms. One man was trampled on by the others, leaving him to face (Name’s) wrath.

  
“This is the fifth time this month, Mr. Bradbury!" she snapped, putting her hands on her hips. The man named Mr. Bradbury simply called security on her and scampered to his car. Before he got out the door, however, the determined girl was able to chuck a map at the tall man. Guests were beginning to stare, but (Name) had other things on her mind.

  
“I actually have a lead this time, and if you don’t let me pursue it, then I’ll turn in my two week’s notice!” she cried, biting back a desperate sob. The businessman sneered, walking through the door. She followed hot on his heels, not taking silence for an answer.

  
“You really are just a stupid child, aren’t you? We gave you this job because of your extraordinary genius, but no one else will take you! You quit, your dreams go down the drain!” he shouted before getting into his limo and driving off, spraying the (Name) with muddy rainwater. She sank to the curb, tears forming in her eyes.

  
“Another letdown…” she sighed, standing to catch a bus back to her apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting another chapter today since the first one is sort of short. Long chapters aren't really my specialty... Sorry about that!

Trudging into her small flat, the girl gave a weary “I’m home” to her loyal dog, only to find it wasn’t there. The lights were off, and it had started to storm again. She slumped on the wall, scooting towards the light switch. When she flipped it, however, the lights did not respond.

  “(Full Name),” a mysterious woman purred, sliding onto the couch. The teen gasped, reaching for her phone to call the police.

  “Now, now, little girl, don’t be that way. I won’t hurt you. My name is Helga Sinclair, and I’m here on behalf of my employer. He has an interesting proposition for you, young lady,” she said, her low and soothing voice causing (Name’s) fists to unclench.

  “Y-Your employer? W-Who is your e-employer?” (Name) stuttered, groping at the wall to stay upright. The woman chuckled.

  “I really don’t bite, (Name). You should come see for yourself.”

  Before she knew it, (Name) was in a brand new Mercedes Benz, zipping into the sprawling driveway of a massive estate. The intercom buzzed; the voice of a security guard could be heard. Once Helga gave her name, the gates opened soundlessly, beckoning them in.  Lightening flashed, causing the already uneasy (Name) to jump out of her skin. She could tell the strange woman next to her was enjoying the teen’s discomfort by the smirk on her face. Once inside, (Name) gawked at the elaborate mansion’s lavish furnishings.

  “Follow me, but don’t drip on that Persian rug.” When (Name) still lagged behind, Helga whipped around with a glare.

  “Step lively; Mr. Sasabe doesn’t like waiting,” she hissed, walking to a glass elevator. Sasabe…where had (Name) heard that name before? Helga worked on fixing the teenager’s disheveled appearance while going through proper manners that (Name) only halfway heard. When the elevator stopped, a study came into view. She meekly slid out of the doors, taking in all of the artifacts littering the room. The elevator hissed behind her, signaling the doors closing. (Name) proceeded with caution, whipping back to check if something was following her every so often. She finally stumbled upon a large picture depicting a man and…her grandmother?

  “Adelaide (Surname). Finest explorer I ever met,” a man’s voice chimed. (Name) whirled around to face a middle aged blonde man. “Goro Sasabe, a pleasure, (Name).” Her eyes widened. This man knew her grandmother!

  “Pardon me for asking, sir, but… did you really know my grandmother?” she asked, hope glimmering in her eyes.

  “I only was able to go on one expedition with her, but we became very close,” Goro explained. “She was crazy, but in a good kind of way. Never could wrap my mind around the way she processed information…” He laughed. “She spoke of you at least once a day.”

  “I remember my grandmother mentioning you a few times!” (Name) exclaimed. Goro smiled.

  “Glad the woman gave me some recognition! I saved her butt quite a bit, I’ll have you know!”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but… why exactly am I here?” (Name) asked.

  “Go look on that table over there, little lady!” Goro answered. A package sat there, unopened. “It’s for you, from your grandmother. That loon was so obsessed with Atlantis that she left something of her collection for you…” (Name) read and re-read her grandmother’s familiar handwriting on the package a few times before ripping it open.

  “This…this is the Swimmer’s Journal! I…I can find Atlantis with this!” (Name) exclaimed, clutching the book to her chest in an awkward girl-book hug.

  “It all looks like gibberish to me…” Goro sighed.

“No, no, it’s not gibberish! Coordinates, clues… it’s all here!” (Name) whispered in awe, flipping through the pages of the tome. Goro shot a few more accusations, such as “it’s useless” and “it’s fake” before he would finally believe that (Name) was serious.

  “Mr. Sasabe, I will stake everything I have on this being the real deal! I need this to get to the lost continent of Atlantis!” she yelled, becoming defensive. Goro smiled, leading her to a glass table.

  “Alright, then! What do you want to do with it?” he asked, eying (Name) closely.

  “I’ll go back to the museum and get funding!”

  “Like you did today?”

  “Ye–no! Wait, how do you even–never mind…” she sighed. She slammed her hands down on the table, her eyes full of fiery perseverance. “I’ll get a rowboat and go myself if I have to!”  She slumped back in her chair, defeated. Goro smiled somewhat slyly at her.

  “Why take a rowboat when you can take this?” A hologram of a fleet of advanced submarines appeared on the table. “You just got your funding and crew.” (Name) blinked a few times before the glee set in.

  “Thank you so, so much! But, one thing… why?” she asked, desperately trying to process the sudden shift her life had taken.

  “Your grandmother talked my ear off about this book, so I figured I’d make sure that her dream was realized,” Goro explained. “I owe a lot to your grandmother, (Name). I was in a very dark place before I met her, and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without her guidance. I will help her kin in any way I can." He spread several sheets of paper out on the table with a flourish.

  “Your crew will be the best of the best, with many teen prodigies like yourself,” he said, picking up the sheets one by one. “Nagisa Hazuki, mineralogist and excavation; Rei Ryugazaki, explosives and demolition; Gou Matsuoka, chief mechanic; Makoto Tachibana, medical officer; and many more,” he rattled off. “This is the team that brought back that journal.”

  “Where was it?” (Name) asked excitedly.

  “Iceland,” Goro replied. She sprang from her chair, punching the air above her head.

  “YES! I WAS TOTALLY RIGHT! HAHA! SUCK THAT, MUSEUM PRUNES!" She paused, her face slowly turning red. "Ahem, sorry.” Goro laughed at (Name’s) outburst.

  “All we need is an expert in gibberish,” he said, grinning. “You can build on what your grandma left you, or go back to that basement in the Smithsonian. Your choice, girly.”

  “This…this is for real! Yes! I’ll do it! But… I need to quit my job…” (Name) groaned.

  “Done,” Goro chuckled. “You resigned this morning.”

  “Apartment! What am I gonna do about tha-“

  “Taken care of.”

  “Clothes and books?”

  “That too.”

  “MY DOG!” A “woof” was heard before (dog) came bounding up, licking (Name) full on the face. “Woah…" she gasped, euphoria evident on her face. "LET’S DO THIS!”

  “Atlantis is waiting!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if the formatting is staying completely the same when I paste from Docs, so I hope it's not too distracting! Thanks so much for reading!

The smell of the sea always made (Name) excited. She loved being on a boat and feeling the wind in her (length) hair as she drifted along. Today’s trip wasn’t for leisure, however. She was getting ready to dive down to Atlantis.

“May I have your attention, please?” a cheery voice rang through the intercom.  “We need all hands to the launch bay! As William Shakespeare once said…” There was a dramatic pause. “Better to be three hours too soon than a minute too late!” At this, (Name) scurried inside the ship, soon becoming lost.

“Um, excuse me, but I don’t know where I’m going…” she trailed off, lightly tapping someone on the shoulder. Low and behold, it was Helga who tuned around.

“It’s you!” (Name) gasped. Helga was about to respond before three boys drove up in a food truck.

“Helga!” the red haired one growled. “I have a bone to pick with you.” Helga sighed.

“Hold that thought, (Name). What do you want, Rin?” she sniffed. Rin rummaged around in his wagon.

“You didn’t give Rin any spices, Miss Helga…” a grey haired boy squeaked. A large boy with the teal eyes simply glared at her.

“You know that we wouldn’t waste resources on frivolous things like spices, Nitori,” Helga growled. “And, Sousuke…stop staring at me like that!” 

"Good thing I brought my own," Rin growled. T he buzzer sounded, the same cheery voice from before following it.

“Attention, please! Launch is in fifteen minutes!” (Name) scurried onto an elevator with many crewman, her head buzzing with excitement. Once she reached the ship, she was practically jumping up and down in pure elation. The sub was the top of the line, huge, and perfect for the job.

“Hello, miss. Are you lost?” a matter of fact voice asked. (Name) turned to face who she recognized as Rei Ryugazaki, the bomb technician, who was wheeling a large cart of…something.

“Oh, no, I’m (Name) (Surname), the linguist…” she said. He looked at her thoughtfully before shrugging her off.

“The place for the inexperienced workers is over there. Ta-ta,” he said coldly, waving (Name) away. She bristled at his comment, ready to attempt to punch him with her nonexistent muscles, but she noticed he had dropped a stick of dynamite.

“You dropped this!” she yelped. Rei nonchalantly came back to pick it up. “What all do you have in there?”

“Oh, the usual... gunpowder, nitroglycerin, the means to make an atomic bomb, notepads, fuses, wicks, glue, and…paper clips, big ones. You know, just office supplies,” he replied, laughing. His laugh was loud and _beyond_ annoying.

“Oh, um…”

“(Name!) Where have you been, girly?” Goro called out. (Name) gratefully scampered over to the man, noticing the other man next to him.

“This is Commander Rourke! He led the Iceland team that discovered the journal!” Goro stepped back, letting the commander shake her hand. Hers was absolutely tiny in comparison. 

“So you’re the granddaughter of the Adelaide (Surname.) A pleasure, (Name).”

“A pleasure to meet you, as well! Wow, Mr. Sasabe! This thing is HUGE!” (Name) said, her eyes exploring every crevice and cranny of the sub.

“Your dear old grandma always said that you can’t put a price on knowledge!” Sasabe quipped.

“Amen!” (Name) agreed. The intercom buzzed again, warning that the sub would be leaving soon. As (Name) scampered on deck after Commander Rourke, she gave Mr. Sasabe a smile and a thumbs up.

“Good luck, kid! Make me proud!” he said.

“I will, sir!”

 

Personnel flipped switches, alarms sounded, and final preparations were made. The signal was given to drop the sub, causing it to hit the water with a thunderous thunk. (Name) barely had time to grab onto a railing before the ship fell, leaving her slightly frazzled. Mr. Sasabe waved at the ship as it dived, praying that the crew would all come back alive. The massive sub sank deeper and deeper, causing (Name) to press up against the front glass in wonder and glee. She was really heading to Atlantis!

After the dive, (Name) found her way to her room and flopped down, sighing in content. She didn’t notice a set of salmon eyes watching her from the top bunk. The strawberry blonde that the eyes belonged to hung over the side of the bunk as (Name) shut her eyes, yawning. A light flicked on suddenly, causing (Name) to yelp and hit her head on the top bunk.

“Miss, you just sat on my chocolate rock collection!” the boy cried, small tears bubbling in his eyes. “Swiss chocolate needs to stay by itself!” (Name) jumped up, peering under the sheets. Sure enough, piles of chocolate rocks with flags in them sat underneath the sheets. The boy dropped down from the top bunk to sweep up his precious candy.

“Why on earth are these under here?!” (Name) squeaked. He stopped fixing the piles of sweets to peer at her. 

“You ask a lot of questions! Who are you, why are you here, who sent you?” he asked, the rapid fire questions feeling like a slap in the face to poor (Name). “Never mind! I’ll know soon enough!” the short boy said cheerfully, pulling the flustered girl closer to him. He took out a pair of tweezers, plucking a piece of dirt from under her fingernail. He grabbed a microscope and looked at it closely.

“So, you worked in the Smithsonian’s basement for three years, you use Bic mechanical pencils, and you have a five year old (dog breed),” he murmured, sniffing it deeply. “Green Expo marker, metallic fragments from a wifi tower… Ah, you’re also the linguist! You must be (Name)-chan!” 

           “(Name)...chan?” the girl croaked.

“Let me show you around! You’re gonna love the place!” he chirped, pushing the girl right into a muscular and bare chest. 

“You sat in the candy, huh?” a soothing voice chuckled. (Name) fearfully looked up, meeting light green eyes and a caring smile. He turned to the boy who was attempting to push (Name) out the door. 

“Nagisa, what have we said about getting too excited? If you keep getting out of control, I will have no choice,” the brown haired teen sighed, pulling a toothbrush from his pocket. 

“I’m so sorry, Mako-chan! You too, (Name)-chan!” Nagisa squeaked fearfully, hiding back on the top bunk. “Mako-chan” turned back to (Name), sticking out his hand for her to shake.

“I’m Tachibana, Makoto Tachibana, the medical officer. I see you’ve already met Nagisa Hazuki!’ he laughed. (Name) took his hand and roughly shook it, a grin on her face.

“(Name) (Surname). A pleasure.” Makoto looked at (Name) with a grin.

“I guess you’re my three o’clock!” he said, smiling sweetly as he pulled out a large saw. “This beauty works with laser technology! This can hack off a femur in fifteen seconds flat, but I think I could do it in ten!” he quipped, switching the saw for a thermometer. “Could you stick out your tongue and say ‘ah?’” (Name) was literally shaking with fear. Makoto noticed her discomfort and gave her a soft smile. 

“Don’t worry; if I have to use the saw, I’ll make sure to sedate you first!” he chirped.

“That’s not much consolation…” (Name) whispered fearfully as the thermometer was inserted into her quivering mouth. After a minute of rapid fire questioning about her life, Makoto finally pulled out two large beakers.

“I’d like you to fill these up, please!” he hummed. (Name) looked at him, absolutely aghast.

“With WHAT?!” she exclaimed, backing away. The buzzer for the intercom trilled, the cheerful woman still the speaker.

“Could (Name) (Surname) please report to the bridge? Thank you!” (Name) had never been so relieved in her life. 

“Gottagobyenicemeetingyou!” she blurted, dashing out the door. 

“Nice meeting you, as well!” Makoto shouted after her. (Name’s) trip was already getting interesting.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to go ahead and post a few more chapters today. I'll stagger them somewhat, though!

“Hello, Mr. Sasabe! Yes, everything is going swimmingly, no pun intended! We are approaching coordinates! No, I will not let you date me! We’ve been OVER this, Goro…” The intercom crackled, the feed fading out.

(Name) gasped as she entered the bridge, everything humming with life. She paused for a moment to look around before climbing up to the main platform, where Commander Rourke hefted her up safely. 

“Welcome to the bridge, (Name),” Commander Rourke said, gesturing to the expansive room. “Okay, everyone! I want you to give Miss (Surname) your full attention!” he boomed. (Name) meekly sidled up to the projector that was already set up with her laptop. 

“H-Hi, everyone!” she stammered nervously. “C-Can you hear me?” The redheaded engineer, Gou, rolled her eyes, sighing. (Name) gulped audibly, her shaking hands reaching for her computer.

“Okay then! How about I just start my presentation!” she stuttered, hastily flipping open her PowerPoint, ignoring the look Rei and Gou gave each other. “This is a depiction of an extremely frightening creature said to guard the way to Atlantis...oops!” She had accidentally opened up the slideshow of her fourth grade graduation. The crew began to snicker. (Name) squeezed her eyes shut to stop hot tears from falling. 

“Girls like that never survived in our high school, huh, Rei?” Gou laughed. (Name), swallowing her injured pride, went on to switch the slide to that of the Leviathan, explaining how dangerous it could be.

“I would put extra butter on that,” Rei mused, referring to the picture of the Leviathan. 

“So, we fight this giant sea monster. Then what?” the commander asked. Nagisa perked up.

“Do we get to dig?” he asked hopefully. (Name) shook her head. 

“We don’t have to! According to the journal, the path to Atlantis will take us down a curved tunnel at the bottom of the ocean, leading us to an air pocket. There, we can find the remnants of an ancient highway that will lead us right to Atlantis! I think I can wire a makeshift wifi tower if anyone needs one, too!” she said.

“Linguist, Internet expert, teenage genius...hard to believe she’s still single,” Helga sarcastically commented. 

“Helga-chan! You said there would be digging!” Nagisa whined, rubbing his head on Helga’s side.

“Go away, you little rat!” she screeched, shoving him off. A crew member called the captain, dismissing the small class that had been in session. The exterior lights were turned on, scanning the dark ocean floor. Thousands of sunken ships came into view, causing everyone to gasp.

“There are ships from every era here!” (Name) exclaimed. Meanwhile, Miho Amakata was picking up something very strange on the radar. 

“Commander!” she cried. The commander was busy listening to (Name) reading the Swimmer’s Journal. “COMMANDER!”

“Yes, Miss Amakata?” he groaned. 

“There’s something you should hear!”

“Put it on the speakers.” A sort of metallic roar came on, causing (Name) to tremble in fear. The group ran to Miss Amakata’s office.

“Is it a pod of whales?” the commander asked. 

“I love whales!”

“Shut up, Makoto!”

“No, it’s much bigger than that!” Miho sighed. Helga reached over and started fiddling with the dials. 

“Sounds metallic. Could be an echo off the rocks,” she said. Miho puffed up her cheeks in a comical manner.

“Do you want to do my job? Hands off!” (Name) was becoming more and more frightened. 

“Is it just me, or is that noise getting louder?” she gulped. Everyone paused, listening to the roar until it finally subsided. The commander ordered the search pattern to be tightened, but before that order could be followed, the ship was suddenly jerked, causing everyone to sail across the room. The commander began shouting orders to attack, everyone going into panic mode. The alarms blared and the lights flashed while the crew got into battle position. Nagisa and Rei hopped into one pod, readying the missiles. (Name) was thrown up against the glass, meeting the Leviathan up close and personal.

“Holy jumping mother o' God in a side-car with chocolate jimmies and a lobster bib!” (Name) rambled as she stared at the red light beneath the glass. “That is a mechanical eye!” The sub pods were fired as Gou frantically tried to stop the water from coming in down below. Rei, Nagisa, and the rest of the crew opened fire on the lobster monster, causing the sub to be released from its iron grip. Torpedoes were fired as the main sub and the escape pods made their getaway. Everything was fine until the monster shot a beam of blue energy at the sub, drilling a hole in the middle.

“ROURKE!” Gou screeched through the intercom. “We took a big hit down here and we’re taking on water fast! I don’t wanna be around when it hits the nuclear power source!”

“How much time do we have?” the commander asked seriously.

“Twenty minutes at most. Actually, better make that five.”

“You heard the lady, let’s move!” Rourke yelled. (Name) was so confused and disoriented that a crew member had to push her towards the escape pods. Helga called for Miho, who stumbled away from her post immediately. (Name) shakily ran across the sinking sub towards the escape pod.

“Move it!” Helga screamed. “Sometime today would be nice!” Everyone slid into a seat and buckled in. (Name) had her eyes shut, and she was gripping her own hand for a bit of comfort. The release lever was stuck, however, and Helga was desperately trying to get it to budge.

The monster closed in and fired another blue beam, ripping through the ship once more. Helga finally got the lever to move, getting them out before the whole ship exploded. The monster was still pursuing them, however.

“Where to, Miss (Surname)?” the commander asked.

“Look for a crevice of some kind!” she screamed over the noise. 

“There! Up ahead!” he yelled as they started to descend. 

“Right behind you!” Nagisa’s voice chimed over the speaker from his pod. Pods were exploding everywhere, many people losing their lives. (Name) could barely watch as they descended into the trench. At the end of a long tunnel, two pods surfaced. Rei, Nagisa, Makoto, Miho, Helga, Commander Rourke, (Name), and a few crew members were the only survivors. As (Name) had said, the entrance to an ancient highway stood before them, waiting to be travelled. As they set a candle into the water to commemorate the many dead, (Name) vowed to succeed in her mission for those who had given their lives to get her to where she was. 


	5. Chapter 5

After being told that she and the book were the expedition’s only hope, (Name) was more than a little shaken. As everyone was getting into his or her high tech vehicle, (Name) was expected to drive.

“Can you drive a truck?” the annoyed commander asked.

“Psssh...of course I can!” she bluffed, climbing in. “I’m the BEST at Mario Kart, so this should be EASY!”

Needless to say, it wasn’t. She was eventually resigned to be towed by Nagisa, who was actually quite adept at driving. The road was long and perilous. At one crossroads, (Name) accidentally read the Swimmer’s Journal incorrectly, causing them to have a near death experience with a large butterfly monster. The crew lost pretty much all faith in her after that. Rei and Nagisa even went so far as to pull a malicious prank on her.

“Did you just drink that?” Rei sniffed, gesturing to the empty water canteen the linguist was holding. (Name) slowly nodded. “That was nitroglycerin, you fool!” Her face blanched. 

“Don’t move, don’t breathe, don’t do ANYTHING but pray…” he snickered.

“BOO!” Nagisa pounced on (Name) from behind, causing the two boys to erupt into laughter. As she bit her lip and continued ahead, she was starting to wish that she had gone to Atlantis alone. 

When the crew came up to a small cliff, Makoto helped everyone up. (Name) was the last in line, but Makoto simply gave her an apologetic look before leaving her to fend for herself. The journey continued, (Name) becoming much more withdrawn and introverted, eating by herself and pouring over the Swimmer’s Journal. As the days wore on, the crew encountered many types of terrain. (Name) nearly cried when Rei blew up an elaborate column to make a bridge. Nagisa finally got to dig when they reached a wall that Rei couldn’t blow up, but not without Rei messing with (Name) first. 

“Maybe I could remove this wall if I had some  _ nitroglycerin,  _ eh, (Name)?” Rei and Nagisa erupted into laughter at this while (Name) simply sniffed and turned away. As Nagisa used his large drill to bore into the stone, the engine failed. Gou shoved (Name) out of the way to try and fix it, but needed to grab a part. When the redhead returned, the machine was running and (Name) looked extremely smug. 

“What did you do?!” the Matsuoka yelped. 

“I dabble in nuclear engineering, Miss Gou,” the girl said simply. Gou punched her as hard as she could in the arm.

“My name is pronounced KOU, you swine!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Two for flinching!”

The crew finally reached the last obstacle before reaching Atlantis. A glowing rock formation hung over the area, its eerie yellow-green light casting an odd sheen on everyone’s skin. 

“We’ll make camp here and leave after a good rest,” Rourke said. 

“That light still freaks me out, even though Nagisa said it’s just natural phosphorus,” Gou muttered. Rin, Souske, and Nitori had made roasted fish with cilantro for the evening meal, causing everyone’s eyes to light up. (Name) simply grabbed a small portion before attempting to walk off. Rin grabbed her wrist, looking into her eyes seriously.

“Hey, you gotta keep your strength up. Take more than that,” he muttered, slipping another fish on her plate. (Name) smiled weakly.

“Thanks, Rin.”

“Anytime. Hey, don’t let my sister get to you, okay? She’s just following everyone else’s lead,” Rin whispered cryptically. (Name) simply nodded before heading to a corner to eat. 

The others were gathered around the campfire, eating and chatting.

“You know, I think we’ve been too tough on (Name),” Makoto said seriously. “She doesn’t seem like she’s a bad person!” After a bit of disagreement, everyone voiced their agreement and called (Name) over. When she sat down, she immediately buried herself back in the Swimmer’s Journal.

“Do you ever stop reading that book?” Gou asked, peering over the girl’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, but... one thing has been bothering me. This one spot starts to tell where the power source is, but...it’s like a page is missing!”

“(Name), relax! We don’t get paid overtime,” Rei chided.

“Yeah, I know...wait, are you guys just in this for the money?!” she yelped. Everyone said “the money” at the same time, causing (Name) to groan.

“Okay, then…” she sighed, wincing as she twisted her back. Makoto noticed her discomfort and walked over.

“Is your back bothering you?” he asked gently.

“Yeah, I must have hurt it–OW!” she yelped. Makoto had slammed his hands into a particular spot on her back.

“Better?” he asked, looking at her expectantly. (Name) tested twisting around, a smile on her face. 

“Yeah, that’s awesome! You really are a prodigy! Where did you learn to do that?” (Name) exclaimed in wonder. 

“My mother was extremely good with home remedies. I learned from her,” Makoto explained. “I have practice taking care of my two younger siblings, as well.” With that, they put out the fire and began to pitch tents. Rei raised an eyebrow at (Name), whose tent looked like it had been hit by a tornado. He walked over and fixed it for her, smiling.

“You know, I was just like you–inexperienced, afraid, inept–until I started adventuring. It’ll get better, I promise.” With that, he walked back to his own tent, leaving (Name) flabbergasted. Gou peered out from her own tent, a pressing question on her mind. 

“You know, (Name), I never got to meet your grandmother. What was she like?” she asked, settling on her elbows.

“She was like a mother to me. My parents were killed in a plane crash when I was just a little kid, and… she took me in.” (Name) started laughing wistfully.

“What’s so funny?” Gou asked. 

“When I was around six, I was out with my grandma when I found a gold coin with Greek writing on it. You’d have thought that I had just won a million dollars the way Grandma reacted,” (Name) snickered. “It wasn’t until I turned eight that I realized that the coin was just a plastic replica.”

“What’s the Matsuoka’s story, Gou?” (Name) asked. 

“I took this job after my dad retired. My father wanted two boys–one to join him in the shop, the other to be an expert in the culinary arts. He got my older brother Rin, who’s the cook, and me, who took up the engineering job. I’m saving up so that my father and I can open up another shop. I wanna be able to support my family,” Gou explained. Rei sighed.

“My only story is that I like to blow things up,” he said. Makoto walked by and snapped Rei’s sleep mask.

“Tell the truth, Rei!” he chided. Rei huffed and rubbed his stinging face before beginning his tale.

“My family owns a flower shop. We would sell roses, carnations, baby’s breath... only the most beautiful of all flowers! Anyway, I was handling an order of corsages, trying to keep up with the rapid fire questions. There must have been a gas leak in the gym next door, because BOOM! No more sweaty fat guys to walk by every morning. Most ugly thing I’ve ever seen! Anyway, that boom showed me my calling–making only the most beautiful explosions!” Nagisa was already fast asleep, twitching and muttering.

“What’s Nagisa’s story?” (Name) asked.

“Three awful older sisters. That is all I’m allowed to say,” Rei sniffed, blowing out the light. 


	6. Chapter 6

The campsite was dark when the intruders made their move. Clad in strange blue masks, three beings searched the campsite. One masked figure had stumbled across (Name’s) bag, rifling through the contents. The pale hand skittered over the top of (Name’s) prized photo of a younger (Name) and her grandmother. The invaders were frightened away when a groggy (Name) stepped out of her tent, wielding only a shovel, a flashlight, and a roll of toilet paper. As the girl unbuttoned her pants, she crazily swung the flashlight around. The beam of light hit the strange rock from earlier, causing it to glow. Tiny fireflies swarmed out of the rock, irritating (Name). She just needed to pee! When one set her toilet paper on fire, she was more scared than bothered. The fireflies set upon the campsite, lighting every tent on fire.

“FIRE!” (Name) screamed. “FIRE!” Everyone hopped into vehicles and made their getaway. As they crossed the bridge, (Name) sprinted to catch up with a truck.

“(NAME!) Grab on!” Gou screamed, grabbing the girl’s wrist and pulling her up. A truck exploded behind them, shooting (Name) forwards into the engineer’s arms. An extremely large explosion sent the stone bridge crashing to the ground, everyone falling with it. The trucks hit a rock, sending everyone flying in different directions.

“Alright, who’s not dead?” the commander asked, lighting a match. Rei, Nagisa, Rin, Nitori, Souske, Helga, Miss Amakata, Makoto, and Gou were the only ones who answered.

“How’s damage, Gou?”

“It could have been a lot worse. Lucky for us, we landed in something soft!” the girl answered.

“Ash!” Nagisa exclaimed, taking out his microscope. “We’re standing in the base of a dormant volcano!” Helga shot a flare to see how far they had fallen, but the flare never reached the top of the shaft.

“The magma has solidified in the deepest parts of the volcano, blocking our way out,” Nagisa mused. Makoto’s expression turned from nonchalant to horrified.

“Hold on. Back up. Are you sayin' this whole volcano can blow at any time?” he squeaked, hiding behind Gou.

“No, Mako-chan! That would take an explosive force of great magnitude!” Nagisa answered. Rei paused, holding a dismantled time bomb in his hand.

“I should do this later, then,” he croaked, quickly pocketing it.

“If we could blow the top off that thing, we would have a clear path. What do you think, Miss (Surname)?” the commander asked, looking around. “Miss (Surname)? (SURNAME)!”

(Name) was passed out against a rock, a large gash on her chest bleeding with ferocity. Strange voices surrounded the girl, gently poking at her face with a staff and muttering amongst themselves. (Name’s) eyes flew open, her heart rate accelerating. Blue masks came into focus as her head cleared, their glowing eyes causing her to cry out. She pressed herself into the rock, tears beginning to leak out of her eyes. She had never been more terrified. One knelt next to her, seemingly investigating her wound. The figure reached out to trace it, causing (Name) to hiss and flush at the same time. The wound was on her left breast, which the stranger had just touched. She inhaled sharply, swatting the pale hand away and gripping her wound. The figure lifted the mask, revealing a stone faced young man. His ocean blue eyes seemed to be trying to convey a message of peace to the girl, as if to calm her down. He leaned in, grasping a pendant that hung around his neck. Pressing the glowing crystal to his hand, he then grabbed (Name’s) breast, causing her to yelp in surprise. (Name’s) wound burned as the boy pressed his hand into her chest, but the pain subsided when the teen removed his hand. (Name) looked first at her now non-existent wound, then back up at him, thankful and dumbstruck.

“T-Thank you…” she whispered. He gave a quick nod, his stoic expression never faltering, before slipping his mask back on and running away. The rumbling of vehicles could be heard, but all (Name) cared about was stopping her savior.

“Hey, wait!” she cried, reaching out to stop him. She quickly got to her feet, sprinting after the band of blue masked people who were using poles to vault over the rocks with ease. “Who are you? Where are you going?” she screamed, stumbling on a stray pebble and coming dangerously close to falling on her face. “You can’t just grab a girl’s boob and run away!” (Name) slowly scrambled after them, slipping around in her haste. When she finally stopped, she looked out at the view with wide eyes. The crew caught up to (Name), panting.

“Woah…” Makoto breathed. A magnificent waterfall sprawled out before them, taller than any they had ever seen. A city sat on top of the rock, surrounded by the roaring waters.

“Sweet sakura!” Rin exclaimed.

“It’s beautiful…” whispered Gou.

“(Name), I have to hand it to you. You really came through!” said Makoto, patting her on the back. The explorers’ celebration was cut short, however. The masked people from before had snuck up behind them, brandishing their staffs.

“Who are these guys?” the commander growled, reaching for his gun.

“They have to be Atlanteans!” (Name) said.

“Impossible!” hissed Helga. The leader began to speak in a foreign tongue, pointing a finger at the explorers.

“I think it’s talking to you…” Nagisa whimpered, pushing (Name) forward slightly. The masked figure continued to speak, gesturing at (Name). (Name) hesitantly inched towards the figure, her brain running a mile a minute to try and understand the words it was saying. She recognized that the voice had asked who they were and where they came from.

“Leb...ay...senic...da..dowere...ento!” she stammered with an extremely bad accent. She hoped that meant, “who are _you_ and where did _you_ come from?” The figure completely removed his mask, revealing the same boy that had saved (Name) earlier.

“ _Your way of speaking is strange.”_ he said in his native language, handing his large mask to one of his companions. (Name) faltered for a minute before answering. 

 _"I….travel...friend!”_ The black haired boy repeated the broken statement to himself before impatiently correcting the girl.

“ _You mean you are a friendly traveller?”_ the boy scowled, his blue eyes narrowing slightly. (Name), absolutely flustered, switched to Latin.

“ _So, my friend, I am a traveller!”_ she said, more smoothly this time. 

“ _You speak the language of the Romans!”_ he replied in Latin, mildly impressed. (Name) began to get cocky, so she donned a cheesy grin, gesturing with both hands outstretched.

“Parlez-vous français?” she asked.

“Oui, mademoiselle,” the boy deadpanned. (Name’s) smile brightened. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Est-ce que vous êtes assis dans le sucre? Parce que vous avez un doux cul!” She was promptly smacked by the Atlantean boy, who averted his gaze with a small flush apparent on his cheeks. Helga clapped heartily, laughing at the linguist sprawled on the ground.

“I like this kid already!” she snickered. The Atlanteans began to socialize with each other, (Name's) fall acting as an icebreaker. (Name) picked herself up and dusted off, giving a curt nod to the only black haired Atlantean. All sorts of different languages flew through the air.

“How do they know all of these languages?” Gou asked. (Name) thought for a moment.

“All of these languages must be based on a root dialect!” she exclaimed, slamming her fist into her palm. Commander Rourke placed a meaty hand on (Name’s) shoulder.

“Maybe English is in there somewhere,” he muttered. “We are explorers from the surface world,” he boomed. “We come in peace!” The Atlantean boy gave a small nod.

“Welcome to the city of Atlantis,” he said, gesturing to the city behind them. “You must speak with my father now.” Grabbing (Name’s) wrist, he walked off, (Name) weakly protesting all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have minimal knowledge of French, so if that sentence/joke about Haru's ass being sweet is grammatically incorrect, please let me know! Thanks.


	7. Chapter 7

After crossing a rickety and long wooden bridge, the crew reached the outskirts of the city. (Name) had been geeking out about the language for the entire trip, making Helga and Commander Rourke laugh at her childish excitement. After they had finished laughing, Helga’s expression turned serious.

“Commander, there weren’t supposed to be people here. This changes everything!”

“This changes nothing,” the commander coldly replied. (Name) had been blissfully unaware of the conversation and kept rambling about the grammatical structure of Atlantean. She then leaned out of the side of the truck, gazing open-mouthed at the city. After they came to a stop, the boy led Helga, (Name), and the commander into a large room with a pond as a floor. Gracefully making his way across the stepping stones, the teen greeted the man on the couch at the end of the room, bowing. (Name) quickly followed his example and sank to her knees, though Helga and Rourke did not. 

“ _You know the law, Haruka. No outsiders may see the city_ _and live,”_ the king rasped, glaring at (Name). 

“ _ Father, these people may be able to help us.”  _ (Name) quickly grabbed her notebook and pencil, writing furiously to keep up with what they were saying. 

_ “We do not need their help,”  _ the king barked. 

_ “But, Father!” _

_ “That is enough, Haruka! We will discuss this later.”  _ (Name) closed her notebook with a sympathetic look on her face, glancing at the discouraged male. 

“Your Majesty, on behalf of my crew, may I say it is an honor to be welcomed into your fine city,” the commander drawled. (Name) quickly cleared her throat. 

“Um, Commander, I don’t think you should-”

“You presume much by thinking that you are welcome here,” the king spat.

“Sir, we have come a long way looking-” the commander began, not skipping a beat.

“I know what you seek,” the king interrupted. “and you will not find it here. Your journey has been in vain!” (Name) exchanged a glance with whom she knew was Haruka, looking for any foreshadowing in his stunning blue eyes. He simply gave a small shrug in her direction.

“We are peaceful explorers, men of science-”

“Men AND WOMEN of science,” (Name) corrected. The king looked at (Name), mirth dancing in his eyes. He turned back to the commander, any hint of warmth gone.

“You say you are peaceful, and yet you bring weapons,” the king said, his eyes narrowing. 

“We bring weapons to eliminate obstacles we may encounter,” Rourke said, his guard up. 

“Some obstacles cannot be removed with a simple show of force,” the king replied curtly. “Return to your people! You must leave Atlantis.” The commander continued to try and reason with the king, but (Name) cut in to stop him. Despite (Name’s) best efforts, the commander vyed for one night’s stay, which he received. The surface group turned to leave after thanking the king, but (Name) took a final look back at Haruka. His face was blank, but he raised his hand in parting. She smiled and waved back at him, her conscience weighing heavily on her as she noticed the hurt in his eyes. After the visitors had left, the king sank back into his couch, giving Haruka a harsh glance.

“You have gone soft, Haruka. A thousand years ago, you would have killed them on sight.”

“A thousand years ago, the streets were lit, and our people didn’t have to scavenge to stay alive,” Haruka droned, turning away from his father.

“The people are content.” 

“They don’t know any better!” the prince sighed, his hands retracted into fists. “We were once a great people! Now we live in ruins. The kings of our past would weep at our current state.”

“Haruka…” 

“If these outsiders can unlock the secrets of our past, perhaps we can save our future.” 

“Everything they have to teach us we already know,” the king spat. 

“Our way of life is DYING!” Haruka shouted, startling his father.

“Our way of life is preserved, son. Haruka, when you take the throne, you’ll understand.” 

 

“How’d it go?” Makoto asked once the party of three had returned.

“Well, the king and his son don’t exactly see eye to eye,” (Name) replied, flipping through her notes. “He seems to like us okay, but the king...I dunno, he seems like he’s hiding something.” 

“If he’s hiding something, I want to know what it is,” the commander mused. 

“Someone needs to go talk to that boy,” Helga thought out loud.

“I’ll go!” Gou shouted.

“Someone with good people skills,” Rei said.

“I’ll do it!” 

“Someone who won’t scare him away!” Makoto added.

“I volunteer!” 

“Someone who can speak the language!” Miss Amakata said.

“For the good of the mission, I will go!” Gou blurted once more. (Name) hadn’t been paying any attention, her nose buried in her notebook, her pencil comically sticking out of her mouth. The commander thumped her on the back, startling her out of her reverie. 

“Good girl, (Surname). Thanks for volunteering!” (Name’s) head snapped up in shock as Gou began to sniffle.

“I wouldn’t have let you go anyway, Gou…” Souske growled. He grabbed the mechanic in a hug as Nagisa whispered, “Go get him, (Name)-chan!” in (Name’s) ear. Muttering flustered nonsense, (Name) set off, cursing the heat blooming in her chest.

As Haruka entered the hall, he heard whispering from behind a column. 

“Okay, (Name), don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” she whispered loudly to herself. She began addressing a plant as if it were Haruka. “I have some questions for you, and...and I’m not leaving the city until I get some answers!” she exclaimed, pointing a finger at the plant. “Yeah, that’s good, that’ll work…” When she peeked back around the pillar, however, the Atlantean prince was gone. She looked around in confusion, walking out from behind the pillar cautiously. She hadn’t noticed the boy climb the pillar behind her and drop down, slithering up to her back. He roughly covered her mouth and grabbed her, causing the girl to yelp in fear.

“I have some questions for you, and you’re not leaving this city until I get answers,” he whispered in her ear, a small smile playing on his lips. (Name) flushed darkly, struggling in the boy’s strong grip. She freed herself, stuttering incoherent babble and gesturing at him. The prince simply re-captured her, covering her mouth once more. Biting back a laugh, he removed his hand from her lips and tugged her wrist.

“Hush; follow me.”


	8. Chapter 8

Haruka led her on hands and knees under a waterfall to their final destination, which was an old, decrepit temple. 

“I have so much to ask you about your world,” he said, failing to hide the fact that he was excited. (Name) clumsily climbed down the side of a pillar when Haruka dragged her down. The girl frantically pulled her shirt down after being scraped against the mossy stone, smiling and covering her stomach.

“You are a scholar, correct? Judging from your shortness of breath and larger forehead, you are suited perfectly for that position.” (Name) turned an unhealthy shade of red, glowering at Haruka.

“Don’t start insulting me!” she cried. 

“I wasn’t insulting you.” His matter of fact tone just made (Name) glower even more. “I’ll just start asking my questions. What is your country of origin? When did the floodwaters recede? How did you-” He was interrupted by a chuckling (Name).

“Hang on there! I have some questions for you, too. How about we take turns? You ask one, then I’ll ask one, then you, then me, and so on!”

“Very well,” Haruka responded. “What is your first question?” (Name) thought for a moment.

“Why are you and your father the only ones with black hair?” she asked. The prince sighed. 

“No one really knows. My father said that our ancestors came from a country far from Atlantis, unlike the rest of our people.” He thought for a moment before asking his first question.

“What is that device you carry around?” he asked, pointing to her phone.

“Oh, this? This is my phone. I can contact other people, listen to music, play games, and search the Internet with it!”

“Internet?”

“It’s basically the most comprehensive book ever written.”

“Ah...well, your turn.” (Name) stopped to think.

“What’s your story?” she finally asked. “I mean, not you personally, but...how did everything end up down here?”

“It is said that the gods became jealous of Atlantis,” he began. “They sent a great cataclysm and banished us here. All I can remember is the sky going dark and people shouting and running...and a bright light, like a star, floating above the city.” He paused for a moment, seemingly in pain. “My father said that it pulled my mother to it. I never saw her again.”

“I’m sorry,” (Name) said, her eyes glued to the floor. “If it’s any consolation, I lost my parents when I was very young, as well, so I understa–wait. You say that you _remember_ the events of Atlantis sinking?! But, that was 88,000 years ago…” she trailed off, looking up from her feet to the boy in front of her.

“Yes, but we age differently than your kind. My age is equivalent to about seventeen or eighteen in your years, from what I’ve learned from your books,” he explained. (Name) cleared her throat, awkwardly swaying.

“Well, uh...lookin’ good!” she stammered, forgetting the fact that Haruka had just admitted to stealing her books. “You have a question for me?” she asked, trying to forget her own awkwardness. 

“Yes,” he answered. “How did you make your way to this place?”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t easy. If it wasn’t for this book,” she began, pulling out the Swimmer’s Journal, “we wouldn’t have made it.” His eyes widened as (Name) handed him the tome. He flipped through the pages, the shocked expression lingering on his features. 

“You...you can read this?” he asked, incredulous.

“Yes! I’m a linguist, it’s sort of my job…” (Name) laughed. Haruka pushed the book in her face, pointing to a certain page. 

“You can even read this?”

“Yes, yes! I can read the whole book!” (Name) watched as his sparkling eyes scanned the page, seemingly not comprehending what had been written. “You can’t read it, can you?” (Name) asked gently. He looked up at her, shaking his head slightly. 

“No one can. The tomes containing the alphabet and the dictionaries were washed away by the great wave,” he explained. He shoved the book to her chest, hope flickering in his eyes. “Show me.” (Name’s) mind went to a dirty place before she realized what he had meant. 

“O-Okay!” She began reading the characters to the best of her ability, Haruka dictating her words in English. 

“Follow the narrow passage for another lead, there you will find the fifth marker…”

“Yeah! There you go!” (Name) smiled sheepishly. “How’s my accent?” Haruka smirked.

“You sound like a peasant who speaks through their nose,” he said, his eyes betraying his amusement. (Name) gave an embarrassed laugh, scratching her cheek.

“Yeah… I’ve got a bit of work to do, huh?” Haruka spontaneously grabbed her hand.

“I have something to show you, too,” he said, dragging her to an object with a tarp over it. He ripped the tarp off with a flourish, revealing a rusted metal contraption resembling a fish.

“This looks like a vehicle of some kind,” (Name) whispered, running her hand over the surface. 

“Yes, but no matter what I try, it won’t start,” he groaned. (Name) hummed thoughtfully before walking over to the front panel, reading the instructions.

“Place crystal into slot…” she read.

“Yes, I have done that.”

“Gently place your hand on the inscription pad…”

“Yes,” he sighed. He was starting to get impatient.

“Did you twist the crystal one quarter turn back?”

“Yes!”

“ _ While  _ your hand was on the inscription pad?”

“Ye–” He froze. “...no.” (Name) smiled. 

“Well, there’s your problem! Hey, you deserve credit for even getting this fa-” His glare shut her mouth as effectively as super glue. She put her hands in the air, a frightened grin on her lips. “Why don’t you just give it a go?” With that, he placed his hand on the pad and inserted his crystal, turning it. The machine roared to life, causing the pair to jump back in surprise. (Name) and Haruka looked at each other before running up to the floating fish.

“This is great!” (Name) exclaimed. “Now I can see the whole city in no time! I wonder how fast it goes…” She gently put a finger on the pad, causing the thing to take off at a very high speed into the wall. It ricocheted back at them, still shooting at top speed. 

“Get down!” (Name) yelled, dragging Haruka down with her as the out of control fish screamed over their heads. It ended up burying itself into a wall, broken. (Name) helped the prince back up, who simply rolled his eyes at her, fighting a smile. She laughed sheepishly.

“So… who’s hungry?” 


	9. Chapter 9

 

(Name) huffed and puffed as Haruka lead her up the side of a cliff. He was adept at climbing; she was not. She lagged behind, but fought to make sure she was not left. 

“By the way, we were never properly introduced! My name’s (Name),” she yelled, the wind whistling around her.

“My name is Harukakokonose,” he said, turning from his place high on the vines to make sure his voice reached her. 

“Harawhata?” (Name) asked. “Please tell me you have a nickname!” Haruka let a small smile creep onto his lips.

“Just Haru is fine,” he said, his tone laced with  beguilement. 

“Okay! Haru! I can remember that!” (Name) laughed, letting him take her hand to lift her up onto the pillar’s top. “Wow…” she breathed, taking in the beautiful city. Despite her best efforts, a tear slid down her cheek, her fists clenched. Haruka looked to (Name) with concern.

“What is wrong?” he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, swiping at her face. “I just got something in my eye.” She sighed, looking up again.

“You know, my grandma used to tell me such wonderful stories about this place… I just wish she could be standing here with me,” she sniffed. Haruka gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before leading her back down the pillar. 

Down in the city, life progressed as usual. Haruka pointed out some lobster fisherman, whom (Name) immediately started waving to. They tossed her a large lobster, which then proceeded to attack her. Haruka shook his head, the ghost of a smile gracing his lips as she held the flailing monster at arm’s length. He grabbed the lobster’s neck and bit down, causing it to go limp. He stuffed it in her bag and led her onwards, ignoring her incredulous “how did you do that?” He took her on a tour of the city, chatting idly as they went. Haruka led (Name) to a family’s home, dinner already being prepared. Haruka had quite a time trying to teach (Name) how to use his city’s eating utensils. Once she understood where to put them, she was a natural!

Rei, Nagisa, and Makoto were messing with their food, as well.

“Don’t forget to eat the head!” Makoto chided. “That’s where all the nutrients are!” With that, he unceremoniously bit the head off of the creature’s body. Nagisa burped quite loudly, causing the three boys to laugh together. Little did they know that some less than savory preparations were being made outside…

 

After dinner, Haruka took (Name) out to catch fireflies by the water. 

“You know, Haru,” (Name) began, “the most we ever hoped to find down here were a few crumbling buildings and maybe some broken pottery, but instead we found a living, thriving culture,” she mused, letting a firefly climb on her wrist. She giggled at its touch. “These guys are kinda cute when they’re not, you know, swarming to try to light you on fire!” Haruka’s face fell a little. 

“We are not thriving,” he sighed, putting the firefly into a lantern. “True, our people live, but our culture is dying. We are like a stone the ocean beats against. With each passing year, a little more of us is worn away.” (Name) looked at Haruka with sadness swimming in her eyes. 

“I wish there was something I could do…” she whispered, gently grasping the boy’s larger hand in her own. The boy tensed at her gesture, his face burning bright red. 

“Actually...I brought you here to ask for your help. There is a mural here, with writing all around the pictures,” he explained. (Name) took the lantern from him, shoving the stick into the ground.

“You came to the right gal, Haru!” She turned, peering at a column behind her. “Let’s start with this, hm?” she said. She was soon distracted by Haruka slipping off his blue and purple pants. “H-H-Haru, what are you…”

“You do swim, right?” he asked, revealing the purple and black swim trunks he had underneath. (Name) nodded dumbly.

“I swim pretty boy...p-pretty good, pretty well! Swi...good. Swim well. Pretty good. I swim pretty well,” she stammered, her grammar clouded by the sight of his toned physique. Haruka looked at her in confusion before sighing and waving it off.

“Good. We must swim a fair distance to reach where we need to go,” he said, slipping into the water with a sigh. 

“You really love water, huh?” (Name) asked, hesitantly taking off her shorts and shoes. A simple grunt of acknowledgement was all she received. (Name) gently slipped into the water, but her shirt still bubbled with air. Haruka suppressed a laugh while (Name) desperately tried to push it down. 

“L-Let’s just go,” she stammered, inhaling and diving under the water. Haruka stayed above, one eyebrow raised in amusement. (Name) surfaced a second later.

“You know, you’re the one who knows where this thing is, so...why don’t you lead?” Haruka nodded before disappearing under the water. He was amazingly fast, and the only reason (Name) didn’t lose him was because of his pendant lighting the way. He led her through an underwater maze of debris before finally dragging her up to an air pocket. She gasped as she reached the surface, her lungs ablaze. Haruka grabbed her face, looking into her eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asked, panting. (Name) nodded.

“Yeah! I didn’t drown, so…”

“Of course you didn’t! The water likes you.”

“The water...what? You know what, never mind,” (Name) laughed. 

“Follow me,” the prince said, dragging her back down. They swam to a large wall with intricate murals. Haruka’s pendant gave (Name) the light she needed to read the inscriptions. She scanned the wall for a while before gesturing to go back up. Once the pair resurfaced, (Name) exploded.

“This is amazing! It’s a complete history of Atlantis! It’s just like Plato described it! He was off on a few details, but-”

“The light I saw, the star in the middle of the city...what does the writing say about that?” Haruka asked, getting very, very close to (Name’s) face. She bit her lip, avoiding his burning gaze and trying to regain composure.

“I don’t know yet, but we’re going to find out! C’mon!” she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and going under. This time, she read writing on a different part of the mural, this one depicting two stone giants powered by a blue star. (Name) studied the pictures and characters for a long time before grasping Haruka’s pendant, pulling him close to her underwater. She gestured to his crystal excitedly before yanking him back up towards the air pocket. 

“The Heart of Atlantis!” she gasped. “It’s the Heart of Atlantis! What the Swimmer’s Journal was talking about! It wasn’t a star; it was some kind of crystal! Like these!” she explained giddily, lifting Haruka’s pendant to his face. “Do you get it? The power source I’ve been looking for, the bright light you remember...they’re the same thing!”

“It cannot be…” Haruka murmured, looking at (Name) in wonder.

“It’s what’s keeping all of these things...you, all of Atlantis...alive!”

“Then, where is it now?”

“I dunno! I think something this important would have been in the journal…” (Name) mused, emitting a groan. 

“The missing page…”

 

When (Name) finally reached the surface of the water, gasping for air, there was an unfriendly party waiting for her. She gripped onto the stone edge, peering up at her adversaries. The commander leaned down, a devilish smirk on his face. 

“You have a nice swim?” he asked with false sweetness. Everyone was behind him with a weapon of some sort. (Name’s) eyes widened in fear and betrayal. 

“Rin...Rei...Makoto...Gou...Nagisa..why?” she cried. “Why are you pointing guns at me?” Helga simply smirked, shifting her gun in her hands. It finally dawned on poor (Name) that she had been had.

“I’m _such_ an idiot!” she roared, pounding her fist on the rock in frustration. “This is just another treasure hunt for you. You’re after the crystal!” Her eyes flashed dangerously, fire blazing behind her (e/c) irises. The commander’s demonic smile only intensified. 

“Oh, you mean this?” he asked, holding up a ripped page. (Name) immediately recognized it as the page missing from the Swimmer’s Journal. She gasped, her expression shifting from surprise to dismay.

“The Heart of Atlantis…” she sighed. 

“Yeah,” the commander began, “about that...I would’ve told you sooner, but it was strictly on a need to know basis, and, well...now you know!” (Name’s) face twisted in fury as she continued to stare down her former comrades. 

“I had to make sure you were one of us,” Rourke said, stretching out his hand to the teen. “Welcome to the club, sweetie!” (Name) pushed herself back in the water, shaking her head.

“No, no, no! I’m no mercenary!” she cried. Haruka surfaced about ten feet away, flipping the water out of his hair. (Name) inhaled sharply in alarm, desperately trying to send some sort of mental warning to him. As soon as he took a breath, he was seized by some crew members in hazmat suits, guns being pointed his way. A few grunts dragged (Name) out of the water, her proud eyes blazing despite the hand clamped over her mouth and the restraints on her arms. When Haruka saw that (Name) was in danger, he fought back viciously against his captors. 

“(NAME)!” he shouted, “Are you alright?” When he did not receive an answer, he grabbed a crew member by the head and flipped them over his shoulder, running up to another and kicking them in the groin. When yet another tried to help his comrade, Haruka simply punched him in the face and continued to wrestle a gun away from a crew member. He pulled out his knife, ready to make a kill, but a bullet whizzed by his hand, knocking his blade out of reach. He gasped, turning to face Commander Rourke, who had shot the bullet. The commander glowered at the still stone faced Atlantean prince, his gun still smoking. Haruka got one last kick on the man he had wrestled with before he was dragged away by two other grunts. 

“Mercenaries?” the commander asked, amusement oozing from his words. “I prefer the term...adventure capitalists. Sweetheart...” he began.

“Don’t call me sweetheart, you scum!” (Name) shouted. She had bitten the hand of the crew member holding her back, allowing her to speak. “You betrayed me, you’ve hurt Haru, and now you’re trying to tell me that it was justified? You make me SICK!” (Name) spat on the commander’s shoes, glaring daggers at the man. 

“You’re the one who got us here. You led us right to the treasure chest,” Rourke pointed out. (Name) shook off the grunt holding her, stomping up the commander.

“You don’t know what you’re tampering with, Rourke!” she screamed, her snarl increasing tenfold. 

“What’s to know?” the commander drawled. “It’s big, it’s shiny, and it’s gonna make us all rich!” (Name) lost control, sticking an accusing finger in the tall man’s face. 

“You think it’s some kind of a diamond. I thought it was some kind of a battery. We were BOTH wrong! It’s their life force! That crystal is the only thing keeping these people alive! Take that away and...and…” (Name) took in a shaky breath, tears burning her eyes and nose. “They all die.” The commander simply smirked at the teenage girl. 

“Well, that changes things. Helga, what do you think?” (Name’s) eyes lit up in hope.

“Well, knowing that...I’d double the price.” (Name’s) face fell, pure hatred in her eyes. 

“I was thinking triple!” the commander corrected. (Name) rushed forward only to be blocked by Rei, who was wielding a gun. 

“You can’t do this!” she screamed. “Where is your humanity?” She could have sworn she saw something flicker in Rei’s eyes, but he quickly replaced it with nonchalance. 

“Ah, academics. Never want to get your hands dirty. Think about it this way. If you gave back every stolen artifact in a museum, like your prized Smithsonian, there would be nothing left to see but empty cases! We’re just providing a necessary service to the archaeological community!” Rourke sniggered. 

“NOT. Interested,” (Name) sneered. The commander sighed. 

“I gotta say, I’m disappointed. You’re an idealist, just like your grandmother. Do yourself a favor, (Name). Don’t be like her. For once, do the smart thing.”  (Name) was having a hard time keeping her temper, and she really didn’t know how to respond. The commander put his forehead in his hand.

“I really hate it when negotiations go sour,” he mused. He snapped his fingers, sending Haruka slamming into the ground, a gun at his back. He tried to hide his pain, but a strangled cry escaped nonetheless. 

“Haru!” (Name) screamed, her eyes frantically darting around and looking for an escape. The commander sauntered up to (Name), holding the missing page in front of her face.

“Let’s try this again.” 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Rei easily blew up the throne room door with a stick of dynamite, giving the commander and his cronies access to the king. 

“Room service,” Sousuke laughed, pointing a gun at the guards. Haruka was still being held by two grunts, the pain and mortification obvious in his eyes. The hazmat men handed Haruka to Helga, who pressed a revolver to his side.

“Tell them to drop their weapons!” Helga shouted. “Now!” The shellshocked king said something in Atlantean, making the guards move away, dropping their staffs. The surface group began to search every nook and cranny of the room.

“You’re not applying yourself, sweetheart,” the commander growled, grabbing (Name) by the collar, “because there must be something else.” (Name) struggled in his grip, pushing the journal that he had shoved at her away. 

“Well, there isn’t! Get your hands off of me! It just says that ‘the Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of our king!’” she snapped. If looks could kill, the commander would have been dead multiple times at Haruka’s hands. The commander tossed (Name) to the side roughly, a gasp of pain escaping her lips. Haruka began to struggle against Helga’s strong grip after seeing (Name) on the floor, blood streaming from her hands and shoulder.

“Maybe old King Cole will have some answers, eh? How ‘bout it, chief? Where’s the crystal chamber?” Rourke sneered. Makoto stood next to him, guilt clouding his bright eyes.

“You will destroy yourselves!” the king exclaimed. 

“Maybe I’m not being clear…” the commander said, pulling back his fist. The force of the commander’s punch sent the king flying back into his couch, groaning in pain.

“Father!” Haruka gasped. It was too much for the prince to take. Makoto immediately swooped down to inspect the king. The teenage doctor glared up at the commander.

“Hurting people was NOT a part of the plan!” he cried, his voice cracking. The commander spun on his heel.

“Plans change, Tachibana. I’d suggest you put a bandage on that wavering heart of yours! It doesn’t suit a mercenary,” Rourke sniggered, flopping down on the king’s couch. He threw his feet up on the table, causing the bowl of fruit that had been placed to fall to the ground and shatter. “Well, as usual, diplomacy has failed us. Now, I’m going to count to ten,” the commander threatened, the king being hefted to his feet, “and you’re going to tell us where the crystal is. One…” The commander loaded his gun. “Two…” The team looked at the commander in shock. Was he really going to shoot? 

“NINE…” the commander snarled impatiently, pointing his gun. “Te-” The commander stopped. He picked up the Swimmer’s Journal, looked at the character on the cover, then at the pool of stepping stones. When a drop of water fell in the middle, the man made the connection.

“The Heart of Atlantis lies in the eyes of our king...this is it! We’re in!” Rourke threw the journal at (Name), who was struggling to her feet. She stretched out her bloody hands, grabbing the book. 

“For the last time, you’ve got to listen to me,” she rasped. Haruka had practically dragged Helga over to (Name), one of his arms freed. He held up the weakened girl as she tried to speak. “You don’t have the slightest idea what this power is capable of,” she feebly mumbled, slumping into Haruka’s chest. The boy shook off Helga completely, supporting the girl with both arms. He quickly grabbed his pendant, transferring power into his hand. He then pressed his palm onto her bloody shoulder, causing it to heal. (Name’s) eyes fluttered back open, giving him a warm and grateful smile. Helga was there to ruin the moment, however, and ripped Haruka away. 

“True, but I can think of several countries who would pay  _ anything  _ to get their hands on that kind of power,” the woman laughed. The commander stood on top of the circle, causing the room to rumble.

“Hurry! Get on,” Rourke commanded, grabbing (Name’s) shirt once again. Helga dragged the Atlantean prince down with her as the circle sunk lower into the ground. The columns made a sort of landing pad when they reached the bottom. A glowing blue ball surrounded by stone faces floated above, slowly turning. The four looked up in awe at the beautiful energy, the commander’s eyes flashing with dollar signs. 

“Jackpot,” he said simply, stepping off the column. A low hum could be heard from the ball, causing (Name) to shiver. Haruka’s eyes lit up in recognition. 

“The kings of our past…” he muttered, dropping to his knees. He began quickly chanting in Atlantean, causing Helga and Rourke to roll their eyes.

“(Surname), tell ‘im to wrap it up! We’ve got work to do, people to see, eggs to lay,” he sniffed, walking closer to the crystal. Helga gave (Name) a weird look, watching Haruka closely. (Name) carefully approached Haruka, kneeling to his level. She gently put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to startle and look up. 

“Uh, Haru,” (Name) said, lifting him up by the arm, “I’m sorry.” Rourke stared intently at the floating object before him. He kicked a pebble into the small pond underneath the orb, causing the blue light to turn red. 

“C’mon, let’s get this over with,” Helga muttered, “I don’t like this place.”

“Alright, (Surname), what’s next?” Rourke asked threateningly. 

“Okay, there’s a giant crystal hovering 150 feet above our heads…” (Name) continued to talk, unaware that Haruka was acting strangely. The light turned blue when it hit him, his crystal hovering in front of his face. 

“ _ Mother _ …” he whispered, his eyes turning completely blue. 

“...I don’t know  _ how  _ to move it, you dimwi-” (Name) turned as Haruka slowly walked past her, seemingly in a trance. She tried to run towards him, but Rourke roughly caught her. As Haruka moved closer and closer to the water, Rourke raised an eyebrow.

“Talk to me, (Surname),” he said, slightly disturbed. “What’s happening?” (Name) frantically opened the Swimmer’s Journal.

“All it says here is that the crystal is...alive, somehow...I don’t know how to explain it! It’s their deity, their power source!”

“Speak English, little miss professor!” the commander growled.

“They’re a part of it, it’s a part of them! I’m doin’ the best I can here!”

“Well, do better!”

“I know! How about _you_ translate, and _I’ll_ wave the gun around!” (Name) snarked, waving her hand in an impersonation of Rourke. The two stopped their frantic bickering when the young prince turned around, speaking in Atlantean.

“ _ All will be well, (Name) (Surname). Be not afraid,”  _ Haruka droned, his eyes glowing with power. (Name’s) eyes widened, staring slack jawed at the prince in front of her. 

“What did he say?” Rourke asked menacingly. (Name) shook her head, feigning confusion.

“I didn’t quite catch it,” she muttered. Haruka turned away from them, taking a step towards the pool. When his foot touched the water, it seemed to solidify, allowing him to walk on it. He continued to float across the pool, making his way towards the crystal. A beam of light followed him, acting like a spotlight. (Name) couldn’t help thinking how nice his hair looked in the light, shaking her head to remove the thought. When he reached the middle of the light, the masks expanded and lifted away, revealing the pure ball of blue energy. The shafts of light condensed into one around Haruka, his head tilting back as their power ran into him. His feet gently lifted off of the ground, his body being pulled into the light. (Name) watching in horror as the boy was swallowed by the energy, the masks re-aligning themselves around the orb. The ball shot out shafts of light, shrinking in size. Haruka seemed to be absorbing the energy as the masks spun faster and faster around him. Eventually, all of the energy had been absorbed, and Haruka’s body now pulsed and crackled with blue energy. He slowly began to descend, (Name’s) heart rate accelerating. When he touched down on the water, (Name) made a move to run to him, but the commander’s strong hand stopped her.

“Hang on there, little lovesick puppy,” he laughed, turning his gaze back to the prince. 

“Haru…” (Name) said gently. His eyes snapped open, nothing but the same blue energy in place of the beautiful eyes (Name) had grown to love. “Haru…” The prince began to walk towards the three standing on the bank, his new form allowing him to walk over the water with even more ease than before. The pulses of energy he gave off made the water rush and ripple around him as he moved. The masks that once floated around the crystal fell with a thud one by one, causing even more disturbance in the water. Haruka seemed to have a barrier around him, for the water simply splashed over him without getting him wet. The commander reached out to take the prince’s hand, but (Name) quickly stopped him

“Stop! Don’t...don’t touch him,” she said, watching the prince walk past with grief clouding her thoughts. 

 

Gou and some men in hazmat suits had locked Haruka up in an old diving bell that had been refurbished to hold volatile substances. (Name) stared sadly as the energy fogged up the window on the container, blocking his face from view. Two guards shoved her back, but she was too numb to care. Nagisa turned a crank, lifting the container into the back of the truck. 

“So...I guess this is how it ends, huh?” (Name) sniffled, turning away. “Fine. You win!” she gulped, attempting to swallow her anguish. “You’re wiping out an entire civilization, but, hey! You’ll be stinking rich!” (Name) looked to Gou, fire burning in her eyes.

“Congrats, GOU. You’ll be able to start that shop of yours with your dad.” The girl froze before hopping into the truck, slamming the door.

“And, Rei! You can start a whole CHAIN of flowers shops! I’m sure your family will be VERY proud. But that’s what it’s all about, right? MONEY.”

“Get off your soapbox, (Surname)! You’ve read Darwin; it’s just natural selection that we’re helping along!” the commander said. 

“Commander! We’re ready!” Helga yelled.

“Yeah, gimme a minute,” he said, waving her off. “I know I’m forgetting something. Got the cargo, the crystal, crew…oh, yeah.” The commander surprised everyone by spinning around and punching (Name) as hard as he could right in the face, a sickening crack reverberating through the glade. She fell to the floor, the picture of her grandmother slipping out of her bag. She surprisingly did not lose consciousness. Her animosity made her shakily lift her head, blood gushing from her mouth and nose. The commander stepped on the frame of her prized photo, causing it to crack.

“Think about it this way, princess. You’re the girl who discovered Atlantis, so now you’re part of the exhibit!” (Name) wiped the blood from her face, her eyes glinting dangerously. (Name’s) former friends looked like they were ready to get out and help, but (Name) reached out for the picture herself. She studied the photo, tears springing to her eyes once more.

“Come on, people. Let’s move!” Rourke commanded, getting in his truck. Gou looked back at (Name) with remorse.

“That was an order, not a suggestion! Let’s move!” Helga yelled. Gou shut the door and looked straight ahead, her mind a hurricane of conflicting thoughts. She sighed before making her decision, kicking the truck’s door back open and running to (Name’s) side, helping her to her feet. The feisty redhead shot a look at Rei, who moved to help as well. Rin, Nitori, and Sousuke hopped out of the truck to help, as well. They grabbed Nagisa on the way over. Miss Amakata was last. She sighed.

“As Mark Twain said, ‘loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.’” She hopped out to join her comrades. (Name) smiled weakly.

“You guys...thank you. I wish you would have done this BEFORE he punched me, but…”

“Aw, you can’t be serious!” Rourke groaned.

“This is wrong, and you know it!” Gou shouted. 

“We’re this close to our biggest payday ever and you pick now of all times to to go with conscience?!” Rourke shouted.

“We’ve done many things we’re not proud of, like robbing graves and plundering tombs, but...nobody got hurt. You have to remember that we’re still young! We don’t want to feel guilty about crimes you pulled us into for the rest of our lives!” Rei shot back, his purple eyes glowing with rage. 

“If that’s the way you want it, fine! More for me!” the commander growled, sulking back to his truck. “Teenagers…” he muttered, starting his vehicle. Helga and the commander drove off, Haruka in tow. (Name) watched them go, ignoring her injuries. As they crossed the bridge, the water stopped flowing. The crystals worn by the locals dimmed, and the air felt like it was becoming thick.

“We can’t let him do this!” she screamed, rushing forward. Rei caught her arm, turning her to face him. 

“Wait!” he exclaimed, pointing to the dynamite strapped to the bridge. He pulled her to his chest and turned away, the force of the explosion sending them flying. (Name) thanked Rei before standing up, crestfallen. 

“(NAME)! I need you up here!” Makoto shouted.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is REALLY short, so I'll post some more along with this. I hope you enjoy!

Makoto was at the king’s bedside with his trusty stethoscope and bag at his disposal.

“How’s he doing?” (Name) asked, settling besides her tall friend. Makoto sighed.

“Not well,” he groaned. “Internal bleeding. There’s nothing else I can do for the poor man.” Makoto started to cry.

“Oh, Mako…” (Name) said gently, pulling the boy in for a hug. “You’ve done all you can. Just let it out. You don’t have to be strong right now.” The dam broke. (Name’s) shirt became soaked with tears in under a minute. After a moment, Makoto raised his head from her shoulder, sniffing. 

“Thank you, (Name). You’re the best, you know that?” (Name) smiled at his words. 

“Thank you. Let’s comfort the king now, shall we?” The two turned to the dying man, their faces grim.

“Your Majesty, this is all my fault. I led that monster here, and...and…” (Name) began, tears of her own spilling from her eyes. The dying man lifted a hand, wiping away the stray droplets. 

“You did not know of that man’s true nature,” the old man said, running a hand through the teen’s hair. “You are but a child, one that should still be innocent and pure. Yet, here you are, caught in the middle of this nightmare that I created by trying to use the crystal as a war machine. I want you to know that I am greatly indebted to you, (Name).” She looked up, her eyes wide.

“How so, if I may ask? All I’ve brought you is calamity!” she exclaimed, bursting into more frightened tears. The king once again gently stroked her downturned face.

“My son was closed off and cold before you arrived. I worried that he would never come out of his shell, but he really took a shine to you, as did I. Your intentions were virtuous from the beginning, and both of us could see that. You are a special person, (Name).” (Name) shook her head.

“Your Highness, I wasn’t even able to protect him! He absorbed the power of the crystal and I just let him slip away!”

“So, he was chosen just like his mother…”

“Chosen?”

“The crystal chooses one of royal blood to protect itself in times of great tragedy.” The king’s heart was starting to slow, and his time to live was running out.

“I can feel myself slipping away, so I have one last favor to ask of you. I hate putting this on the shoulders of one so young as you, but...please, save my son. The crystal will consume him if nothing is done, and I can see that you care for him as deeply as I do. Please...save him…save Atlantis...right my wrongs…” He slipped his crystal pendant into her hand. (Name) nodded, holding the gem close to her heart.

“I will fight for this place, and for your memory. Thank you for everything.” He died smiling.


	12. Chapter 12

After the king passed, (Name) gathered her group outside. 

“What now?” Nagisa asked, looking at (Name) earnestly. “We followed you in; we’ll follow you out. It’s your decision” (Name’s) eyes narrowed. 

“ _My_ decision? I think we’ve seen how effective _my_ decisions are. Let’s recap. I lead a band of plundering vandals to the biggest archaeological find in recorded history, thus enabling the kidnap and/or _murder_ of the royal family! Not to mention delivering the most powerful force known to man into the hands of a mercenary _nutcase_ who’s probably going to sell it to Putin or ISIS! Have I left anything out?” (Name) screeched, poking Nagisa in the chest roughly.

“Well, you did light our camp on fire and make us fall into that hole…” Nagisa added meekly. (Name) stepped back with a grand huff.

“Yes, thank you,” she sighed, flopping onto the ground. Miss Amakata squatted next her, warmth in her gaze. 

“As George Patton said, ‘success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom,’” she consoled, placing a hand on the teenager’s shoulder. “Your grandmother loved that quote, and told us to live and breathe it.” (Name) looked up at the woman, gratitude brimming in her gaze. She looked at the crystal in her hands, clenching it with a determined smile on her face. She stood, walking briskly towards the city’s edge.

“Where are you going?” Gou asked. 

“I’m going after Rourke,” (Name) said, her voice strained. 

“(Name), that’s insane! Completely illogical!” Rei called out. 

“I didn’t say it was the smart thing,” she responded, her voice low, “but it is the right thing.” She clambered on top of one of the fish vehicles that she had found with Haruka several weeks before, sticking the king’s crystal that had been entrusted to her in the slot. The machine whirred to life as she turned the “key.”

“Well, I’m impressed!” Miss Amakata said. Gou scrambled on behind (Name), her eyes shining. 

“Let me try to drive!” she exclaimed, slamming her hand on the pad. (Name) didn’t have a chance to protest before the craft went sailing backwards into a wall. 

“Gently, Gou. Gently,” she sighed, rubbing her aching head. The explosion had caught the attention of the other Atlanteans, wonder and awe written on their faces. 

“How is this done?” one soldier asked. 

“It’s simple,” (Name) replied, jumping off to meet him. “All you’ve gotta do is use the crystals!” A wistful smile worked its way onto her lips as she turned the crystal in a craft that looked like an octopus. “Haru showed me. Half turn right, a quarter turn left, keep your hand on the pad!” 

With her instructions, Atlantean soldiers were able to start the various creature-themed vehicles. 

“Everyone grab your ammo and some beef jerky!” Rin whooped, sliding into the driver’s seat. More and more Atlanteans filled the sky, ready and waiting for orders.

“I’m so excited!” Nagisa squealed, bouncing up and down on the back of a penguin machine. As soon as everyone was airborne, (Name) stood up on the back of her octopus. 

“All right! This is it! We’re going to rescue the prince! We’re going to save Atlantis!” she cried. “Or we’ll die trying! Now let’s do it!” 

Everyone took off in a tidal wave of mechanical marine creatures; those who did not mount a vehicle cheered on the ground below. 

Meanwhile, Helga and Commander Rourke were busy with their escape from Atlantis. They blasted a hole to the outside in the dormant volcano with a decently sized torpedo, causing a small rockfall. 

“I love it when I win,” Commander Rourke snickered, peering up at the hole. His team expanded a sort of hot air balloon, ready to make off with their cargo.

In a tunnel nearby, (Name) and her crew were hurtling towards the biggest fight any of them had ever seen. 

“Okay, here’s the plan!” (Name) shouted over the rush of the wind. “We’re going to come in low and fast to take them by surprise!”

“I’ve got news for you, (Name),” Gou screamed back. “Rourke is never surprised, and he’s got a lot of guns!”

“GREAT!” (Name) howled. “Do  _ you  _ have any suggestions?” 

“YES!” Rei piped up from the back. “Don’t get shot!” 

As Rourke hooked the diving bell with Haruka in it onto a cable, he saw (Name’s) band hurtle into the corridor. 

“There they are!” (Name) screeched. Rourke snarled as he turned to his lackeys.

“We’ve got company.” His group immediately opened fire, leaving (Name) and her allies to scramble for safety. The Atlantean soldiers shot with bows and arrows to force Rourke’s men to retreat into a trench. Planes were launched to buy time for Rourke to escape, shooting rapid fire at the mechanical creatures.

“Great balls of fire!” (Name) yelped as a bullet skirted by her face. She turned to Gou, horror written all over her face. “I thought you said they only had guns!” 

“I said that he was never surprised!” she fired back. “How was I supposed to know he had planes?”

One man on the ground had a machine gun and fired at Rei, causing the boy to slam his fist on the control pad out of fear. A beam of blue energy incinerated everything in front of him. He looked at his hand in shock and pleasure, a scheming grin painted on his lips.

“ _ Now  _ things are getting interesting!” he laughed. 

“Rei! Head’s up!” (Name) hollered, pulling up alongside him. “We can’t let Rourke get to the top of that shaft!” She pointed at the top of the volcano where the hole had been blown. 

“Aye aye!” he shouted back, following her up. He shot down planes that tried to get in her way as they ascended, the rest of the crew at their backs. After a while of this, (Name) pulled up to Rei again.

“Rei! New plan! You and I will be decoys! Makoto and Gou, drive underneath that thing and cut Haru loose!”

“We’re on it!” Makoto said, nodding at Gou. They set off, dodging more relentless gunfire from both the ground and the opposing planes. Rei and (Name) set off towards the commander and Helga, dancing around  attempts to eliminate them and sending occasional beams dangerously close to Helga. 

Gou and Makoto were struggling with the chains holding Haruka’s prison.

“I thought you said that this thing could cut through a femur in fifteen seconds!” Gou huffed, furiously working at the chains with Makoto’s laser saw.

“Less talk, more saw!” Makoto yelped, his eyes darting around nervously. 

Rourke had a large torpedo gun that he had trained on (Name), but Rei shot it out of his hands before he could fire. As Rourke looked down at his hands, he saw Gou and Makoto below him, trying to free Haruka.

“Looks like someone’s working overtime,” he said, pointing them out to Helga. She began dropping torpedos on them, causing the diving bell to sway and shake and Gou’s craft to explode. Makoto grabbed the back of her shirt, hefting her onto his lap. 

“Come on, Gou, time’s up!” he yelped, driving her away. (Name) looked down at the chaos, clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Alright, (Name), this is it. Any last words?” A pause. “Yeah… I REALLY WISH I HAD A BETTER IDEA THAN THIS!” she shouted, going into a nosedive. She rammed her octopus machine into the side of the balloon, causing it to rupture. She held on to the side for dear life, cursing the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. Rourke began barking orders, his eyes wild.

“We’re losing altitude! Lighten the load!” he ordered, walking up behind a panting Helga.

“That’s it!” she yelled, throwing a barrel over the edge. “Unless someone wants to jump.” Rourke wore a devilish smirk as he picked up Helga, dangling her over the edge.

“Ladies first.” When he let her go, she grabbed on to the edge of the balloon, hoisting herself back up. She kicked Rourke in the face, her entire body tense and ready for a fight. 

“You said we were in this together!” she growled, kicking him in the face again. “You promised me a percentage!” As she was about to kick him in the face once more, he caught her foot.

“Next time, get it in writing!” he sneered, throwing her off of the edge and watching her fall to her death. “Nothing personal!” 

(Name) had managed to loosen a rope from the side of the balloon, which she used to swing down next to Rourke like Tarzan. Her feet hit his face, and they both went tumbling off the edge. She grabbed onto his chest as he grasped a rope, sliding onto a deck below with a large fan underneath. When the two recovered from the blunt trauma, Rourke gave (Name) a malicious smile.

“Well, I have to hand it to you, you’re a bigger pain in the ass than I ever thought possible!” (Name) tried to punch him, but he caught her fist and shoved it right back in her face. With a stiff kick to the stomach, (Name) was flying off the edge along with a piece of steel railing. The fans caught the metal, saving her life. She hung on and began to formulate a plan, her mind racing. 

“I consider myself an even tempered man. It takes a lot to get under my skin.” He stalked over to the fan, grinning sadistically down at (Name). “But congratulations! You’ve won the golden Iwatobi-chan!” He grabbed the blade of the fan, ready to send her to her death, but she had spotted the chain network supporting Haruka’s diving bell prison earlier. Grabbing onto that, she hung there, her arms screaming with pain and fatigue. 

Down below, Helga was taking her last breaths. As a sort of swan song, she pulled out her torpedo gun, aiming at the balloon.

“Nothing...personal,” she rasped, shooting a fireball upwards. The balloon erupted with a grand burst of orange heat, debris flying everywhere. Rourke grabbed a fire ax, descending on (Name) with bloodlust in his gaze. He began to swing wildly at her, causing her to slip off the edge. Her fingers creaked as she clung to the edge, her entire body coursing with pain. 

“Tired, Miss (Surname)?” Rourke snickered, raising the fire ax above his head. (Name) let one hand go, swinging to the other side. Rourke missed her, but broke the glass window of Haruka’s diving bell. “That’s a darn shame!” (Name) stared at the window, her brain numbly registering the sharp glass blades that Rourke had inadvertently created. She reached for one, grasping it gingerly.

“I’m just getting warmed up!” Rourke bellowed, grabbing (Name) by the neck and hoisting her up to face him. He readied his ax, a sickening smile painted on his lips. She raised her arm and slashed his wrist with the glass, which pulsed blue. He howled and let go of her, the girl frantically latching onto a chain and trying to climb to the deck. Rourke’s arm began to crystallize and turn blue, much to his horror. His entire body followed suit, and he gave a gutteral scream as the energy completely consumed him. The steel railing that had been clogging the fan broke, causing the blades to whip around once more at a terrifying speed. (Name) scrambled to the steel ring above the diving bell, sighing in relief. Her relief didn’t last long as a blue hand grabbed the ring. Backing away from Rourke’s new form, she slipped off of the diving bell with one hand still grasping the ring. The other was locked onto one of the connecting chains. As one of the fan’s blades hit Rourke, he exploded into red light with an inhuman screech. The chains ruptured, sending Haruka’s prison to the ground. (Name) fell along with it, hitting her head on the large metal contraption. She groaned, rubbing the back of her head. As she looked up, the balloon’s fiery form could be seen plummeting towards her.

“Oh, GREAT!” She sprang to her feet, desperately trying to push the diving bell to safety. She got it moving down a hill, scrambling after it. She jumped out of the way just in time, the fire engulfing the ground she had just stood on. Makoto, Gou, Rei, Nagisa, Rin, Sousuke, and Nitori landed next to her, jumping off of their machines and rushing to her side. The ground began to rumble shortly afterwards. 

“The volcano!” Nagisa cried. “The volcano is erupting!” 

“Hey, I had nothing to do with it!” Rei huffed, quickly putting out a stick of dynamite. 

“This would be a good place not to be,” Rin gulped. 

“No, wait!” (Name) exclaimed. “We have to get him back to Atlantis, or the whole city will die!” She wearily re-attached the chain to the diving bell, attempting to pull it with her. Gou stormed up to her, snatching the chain away.

“If we don’t get out of here,  _ we’ll  _ die!” she shouted, pulling the chain along with her.

“It’s the only way to reverse this!” (Name) protested. “Just do it!” Gou threw the chain to Rei, who hooked it to his craft. He pulled Gou and (Name) up onto the back, revving the engine. They took off, but the diving bell’s chain broke. The three friends looked back in horror. (Name) started to shimmy down the side of the fish without a second thought, but Gou tried to stop her.

“(Name)! NO!” she screamed, close to tears. (Name) repelled down to the diving bell, trying to ignore the fire, the pain in her every limb, and the crippling fear coursing through her veins. She picked up the chain and rushed to the metal prison, dodging columns of lava popping up through the floor. Wrapping the chain around the diving bell, she turned her face to the sky.

“GO!” she shouted, tightening her grip. Rei hit the gas, pulling away with as much power as he could coax out of the flying machine. (Name) closed her eyes and yelled in fear as she clung to the side of the bell, the contraption swinging precariously from its chain. A river of lava followed the band out, shooting flaming rocks at (Name) and incinerating everything in its path. 

“We’re almost there,” (Name) reassured herself. “Almost there…”


	13. Chapter 13

 

When they touched down in Atlantis, they were met by the faces of terrified townspeople. One handed (Name) a spear, which she gratefully took. With a roar, she wedged it in the diving bell’s door.

“The fissure’s getting pretty angry, (Name)-chan!” Nagisa whimpered. “It’s gonna blow!”

“(Name)!” Makoto yelled. “Nagisa says the wall is going to blow!” (Name) ignored him, continuing to yank on the pod door. It finally burst open, the entire bell dismantling. Haruka floated inside, levitating the pieces around him. (Name) shielded her eyes from his light, staring in awe. Haruka touched down onto a set of runes, his power trickling through the crevices. (Name) backed away, her eyes glued to the floor. Eventually, the entire city was covered, causing the masks of the past Atlantean kings to emerge. Haruka and the masks soared upwards, the rotation of the stone faces increasing more and more until all that could be seen was a blue ball of energy. A beam was fired from the energy ball, hitting a stone golem that rose from the water. More beams of light scattered across the land, waking more golems from their slumber. Miss Amakata snapped pictures while everyone else gawked at the sight, scared yet intrigued. The stone giants lumbered out into the waters, forming a circle. With a grand clap, blue energy flowed from their hands, creating an expanding barrier. It encircled the entire city as the wave of lava crashed into it. With another blast of power, the lava was solidified and broken away like the chocolate covering of an ice cream bar. Once the last bits of rock had fallen, the barrier fell. (Name) turned her face upwards to where Haruka levitated, relief washing over her when she saw him floating gently to the ground, unharmed. She rushed to catch him, supporting his head against her shoulder with her hands wrapped around his waist. She hugged him close as he breathed deeply, his ocean blue eyes fluttering open. He looked up to meet her gaze, still frazzled and disoriented.

“(Name)?” he whispered, anchoring his feet and standing. He frowned, lifting up his closed fist. He opened it tenderly, revealing a tiny shell bracelet made of blue shells. He smiled at it gently before his guard fell, silent tears streaming down his cheeks. (Name) pulled him to her, gently pushing his face into her shoulder. 

“It’s ok,” she whispered, near tears herself. “It’s all over.” She ran her hand through his hair, relishing the closeness of the moment. She sighed, resting her head against his. “We’re ok.”

“(Name), Haruka! Look!” Makoto exclaimed. The two were met with a beautiful view of the golems standing in the distance and water flowing through the city once more. Haruka turned away from the spectacle to look at (Name), the tips of his ears glowing red. He looked at her face, then at her hand, at her face again, and back at her hand. Taking a deep breath, he shyly slid his hand into hers, making a point of not looking at her. She jolted a little, whipping her head around to face the prince. She looked at his face, then their hands, then back at his face, and back to their hands. She inhaled deeply before tugging him to her, capturing his lips with hers. Time seemed to slow down as she kissed him, his brain focused on nothing but her and her scent and her taste. Her hands in his hair, her body against his–it was maddening. He was unsure of where to put his hands, but she guided them to her hips to steady her. She nibbled at his bottom lip tentatively, gaining confidence when Haruka let her in. She pulled away for air just as the prince lost control of himself and moaned.

“Everything ok over there?” Makoto asked, his attention finally ripped away from the city. Haruka and (Name) hid their burning faces, (Name) barking out a “we’re fine!” 

 

Atlantean soldiers loaded a large narwhal craft with gold and spoils as the crew lined up in front of Haruka and (Name).

“Atlantis will honor your names forever,” he said, slipping a crystal over Rei’s neck. “I only wish there was more we could do for you.” 

“Um, thanks anyway, but…” Rei glanced over his shoulder at the mountain of gold and jewels. “...I think we’re good.” 

“They’ll take you as far as the surface,” (Name) said, pointing upwards. 

“We’re really gonna miss you, (Name),” Gou sniffled, grabbing onto Sousuke’s arm. 

“You know,” said Rei, “I’m going to re-open the flower shop, and I’m going to think of your beautiful faces every single day, Monday through Friday, nine to five, Saturday until two!” he blubbered, grabbing (Name’s) shoulders. 

“Thank you, Rei,” (Name) sighed, hugging the boy tightly. After he left, Rin walked up to (Name) to say his goodbyes. 

“I’m not great with words,” Rin gulped, “but here’s a ration of fish with cilantro to feed you for a night.” He ran back to Nitori, bawling his eyes out.

“Bye, (Name)!” Nagisa cried, throwing himself into her arms. “I’m gonna miss you!” 

“I’ll miss you too,” she replied, squeezing back. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come back with us?” Makoto asked. “There’s a hero’s welcome waiting for the woman who discovered Atlantis.” 

“Eh, I don’t think the world needs another hero,” (Name) scoffed. “Besides…” She paused, sharing a meaningful look with Haruka. “I hear that there’s an opening down here for an expert in gibberish.” 

“Well, take care of yourselves,” Makoto said. He dragged (Name) into a bear hug, which the girl returned tenfold.

“Wait, before you go, could you...?”

“Sure!” he responded, slamming his hands into her back. Haruka almost attacked Makoto, but he halted when he saw (Name’s) expression of bliss. 

“Thank you so much,” she sighed. “My back had really been acting up.” 

“Let’s go home!” Miss Amakata said, yawning. 

“Let’s get one more picture before we go!” Nagisa exclaimed, dragging everyone in front of the camera.

 

Goro looked up from the picture (which was angled too far downwards), scanning the group of teens before him.   
“Now, let’s go over it again,” he sighed. “You didn’t find anything.”

“Nope. A lot of fish and rocks, but nothing beautiful or of consequence,” Rei answered. 

“What happened to Helga?” Goro asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Well, she sort of died when a flaming hot air balloon–OW!” Rin tried to answer, but was struck by Gou. “Erm, she’s missing.”

“That’s right,” Goro huffed. “And Rourke?”

“Nervous breakdown,” Makoto answered. “You could say he went all to pieces.”

“In fact,” Rin began, “you could say he was literally broken to pieces–OW! I’m sorry, Gou! He’s missing too.”

Goro sighed, putting his head in his hands. “And (Name)?”

“Went down with the sub,” said Gou. Goro sighed, staring at a picture of (Name) and Haruka together on the digital camera. 

“I’m gonna miss that girl. At least she’s in a better place now.” His eyebrows shot up when he saw the small package taped to the side of the camera. Since it was addressed to him from (Name), he opened it, smiling at the crystal packed inside. There was a note written on the picture of young (Name) and her grandmother, which read,

“Dear Mr. Sasabe,

I hope this is enough evidence for you. It sure convinced me! Thank you from the both of us!

Sincerely,

(Full Name)”


	14. Chapter 14

“I still don’t understand how women can wear this and not feel self conscious,” (Name) said, pulling down the turquoise robe-like garment. “I might as well be naked!”

“Nonsense,” Haruka scoffed, adjusting his sash. “You look wonderful.” She sputtered in embarrassment before huffing a quiet “you too.” 

“Are you ready?” he asked, asking himself as much as he was asking (Name). She nodded, squeezing his hand.

“Ready when you are.” They emerged from the throne room, the large stone depicting the face of Haruka’s father ready to be infused with power. The crowd parted as the pair descended the steps, Haruka’s shaking hand steadied by (Name’s) firm grasp. Once they reached the stone, Haruka gently blew onto his crystal, touching it to the slab. His father’s face lit up with energy, soaring high into the sky to join the other past kings. Taking a shaky breath, Haruka watched it go, overwhelmed with a flurry of emotion. 

“You’ll be fine,” (Name) whispered. “You’re going to be a great leader and make your father proud.”

“I certainly hope so,” he said. 

“I know so! Besides, you’ve got me!” she laughed, squeezing his hand. “If I can save you from Rourke, I can save you from paperwork.” Haruka’s smile fully reached his eyes as he pulled her in for a hug, ignoring the excited whispers from the crowd.

“I’m in good hands,” he murmured. “Thank you for everything, (Name). Really and truly.”

 

After a public address and a large meal, the two finally were able to get a minute to themselves. (Name) flopped onto her bed facedown, grunting incoherently. Haruka padded after her, ignoring the inhuman sounds coming from the other bed. He stared out at the water surrounding his island for a moment before he lost his composure. Tears rolled down his cheeks quicker than he could wipe them off, and a sob escaped his lips before he could muffle it with his hand. (Name’s) head shot up from her pillow, her body reacting instinctively to the sound of hot tears hitting the floor. When she held his hand, he only sobbed harder, his shoulders heaving as he gasped for breath. (Name) drew him into a gentle embrace, guiding his head to her waiting shoulder.

“Just let it out, Haru,” she murmured. “Bottling things up is never the answer.” The salty droplets embedded themselves in her robe as he cried, but (Name) didn’t seem to mind. He clutched at her garment desperately like a small child that needed to be comforted, like a broken man whose world had been ripped out from underneath his feet. 

Haruka’s devastated weeping was the most heartbreaking thing (Name) had ever heard. She almost began to cry herself. After another minute of tenderly stroking his hair, Haruka’s sobs dwindled down to tiny sniffles. When he finally looked up, his striking blue eyes were red rimmed, puffy, and still swimming with tears.

“They’re both gone, (Name). I’m alone,” he whispered, burying his face in her sheets. “I have to rule this place all alone…”

“You will never be alone,” she said firmly. “Do you take me for the kind of girl that lets a guy grab her boob without some sort of compensation?” He looked up from the blankets, giggling a little. 

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“I will hold that over your head for the rest of your life, yes.” Haruka sat back against the headboard, covering his face with his hand. 

“Please, I was trying to  _ help  _ you!” he snorted, peeking at (Name) through the slats of his splayed fingers. He squeaked in surprise when he felt her head hit his stomach, the wind temporarily knocked out of him. 

“Whatever you say, pervert,” she laughed, lacing her fingers with his. 

“If I’m a pervert, then you’re an absolute debauchee!” he said, his voice quieter and drowsy. (Name) swallowed her sarcastic retort when she felt the steady rise and fall of Haruka’s breath. Gently turning her head, her suspicions were confirmed when she saw his closed eyes and wan smile. She carefully removed herself from the prince’s stomach, moving herself up to the head of the bed. Snaking her arms around his waist, she whispered a simple “goodnight” before closing her eyes. 

“ _ I’m so happy I came down here, _ ” she thought, drifting into a contented slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it! Thank you all for reading this far. I hope you enjoyed!


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